


Hush, Hush

by brohne



Category: Thief - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-11 10:36:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2064834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brohne/pseuds/brohne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett discovers something he never realized he knew…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hush, Hush

The air was cool and crisp and the smell of baking bread wafted up from kitchen just below where Garrett stood on the ledge. He tried to ignore the way the scent made his mouth water and his stomach growl as he worked the window open. It finally gave with a groan of weathered wood. He let himself into the dark interior. He stood for a moment getting his bearings in the dark. It was a small apartment and the scent of bread was replaced by the unmistakable odor of spoiled milk. He started forward when something rustled and a piercing wail split the air.

Garrett cringed and started back for the window. He’d try another room. The wails settled into distraught crying and Garrett paused a distant memory tugging at the back of his mind. Before he realized it he was at the cradle looking down at the infant.

“Shh, you’re fine. Go back to sleep.” His hand hovered just above the tiny body. The cries became more insistent and it grabbed his fingers with one hand startling him. He caught himself before jerking back. He frowned watching as it tugged at his fingers trying to put them in its mouth.

“No, no don’t do that.” He pulled his hand away and flinched as the cries grew in volume. “Okay, shh don’t cry.”

Unsure what to do and faintly remembering something similar from long ago he scooped up the infant. The babies in the orphanage had often been left to cry themselves to sleep. He distantly remembered trying to comfort the loudest ones since they tended to wake the staff who would then blame the other children for waking the babies. Cradling the baby in his arm he watched as it sucked on his finger.

“That can’t taste good. You need to go back to sleep so I can get back to work.” The baby whimpered again and he frowned wondering if he should just put it down and let it cry. Part of him wondered why he was even bothering. Someone could walk in to check on the baby at any time. The baby seemed to sense he’d changed his mind, he felt it stiffen and draw a breath to start crying.

Desperate he did the only thing he could think of and started singing.

_Hush, hush, time to be sleeping_  
 _Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping_  
 _Dreams of peace and of freedom_  
 _So smile in your sleep, bonny baby_

The cry never came and the baby relaxed in his arms. Garrett shook his head watching as the infant slowly closed its eyes, the grip on his fingers relaxing as he continued to sing.

_Once our valleys were ringing_  
 _With songs of our children singing_  
 _But now sheep bleat till the evening_  
 _And shielings lie empty and broken_  
 _Hush, hush, time to be sleeping_  
 _Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping_  
 _Dreams of peace and of freedom_  
 _So smile in your sleep, bonny baby_

By the time he was done with the second chorus the baby was sound asleep again. He carefully placed it back in the cradle and wrapped the blanket back around the tiny form. He glanced over as the door to the room swung open. Time to go.

A few minutes later he sat on the roof looking out across the City. He hadn’t known he knew any lullabies. None were ever sung at the orphanage. Singing had been rather viciously discouraged. Shaking his head he started for the Clock Tower. It was beginning to get light toward the East and he was tired.

As he got ready for bed, he kept hearing the song, but softly sung in a woman’s voice. A hazy image that was more just impressions of warmth and comfort came along with it. He found himself humming it as he finished putting his equipment away. It bothered him that he couldn’t remember where he knew the song from. He had just laid down when he realized who it was. A strange unfamiliar ache cinched itself around his chest. The only person it could be was his mother. There was no one else it could be. Taking a shuddering breath he clutched his pillow closer and closed his eyes.

_Hush, hush, time to be sleeping_  
 _Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping_  
 _Dreams of peace and of freedom_  
 _So smile in your sleep, bonny baby_

_Once our valleys were ringing_  
 _With songs of our children singing_  
 _But now sheep bleat till the evening_  
 _And shielings lie empty and broken_  
 _Hush, hush, time to be sleeping_  
 _Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping_  
 _Dreams of peace and of freedom_  
 _So smile in your sleep, bonny baby_

_Where is our proud highland mettle_  
 _Our troops once so fierce in battle_  
 _Now stand, cowed, huddled like cattle_  
 _And wait to be shipped o’er the ocean_  
 _Hush, hush, time to be sleeping_  
 _Hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping_  
 _Dreams of peace and of freedom_  
 _So smile in your sleep, bonny baby_

_No use pleading or praying_  
 _For gone, gone is all hope of staying_  
 _Hush, hush, the anchor’s a-weighing_  
 _Don’t cry in your sleep, bonny baby_


End file.
